Epilogue
Six months later, the American flag and the Texas State flag were flying from the flagpoles outside of the new police station with three jail cells in the back, waiting for baptism.
There were two dispatchers ready to go to work and three uniformed deputies standing at attention as Mayor Belker swore in Gunner Kingston as the town’s first chief of police.
Asher had flown in on his private helicopter to witness the event and brought Dylan with him. Both Jacob and Pearl and Garrett and Trudy Dillon were on hand as the proud parents. Sheriff Reddick was on-site, along with the people of the town, to witness the auspicious event.
As his wife, Holly was standing beside Gunner, and when it came time to pin on the badge, the mayor handed it to her.
“Mrs. Kingston, will you do the honors?” he asked.
Holly took the badge, stepped directly in front of him, and pinned the badge to the shirt pocket of his uniform. She caught a glint in Gunner’s eyes, but he never broke rank, keeping his head up and eyes forward as she stepped back in place.
Then the mayor turned to face the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, Chief Gunner Kingston is in the house.”
The crowd roared and cheered.
The families gathered around them as Gunner and Holly waved.
The day was still and perfect. No wind, no clouds, just West Texas holding its breath for whatever came next.
The gun and holster around the police chief’s waist, and the weight of the badge pulling against his shirt, were visual notices of his public identity.
Gunner Kingston would always be a cop to the world, but in the life that mattered most, he was just the man who belonged to Holly.